No Deal Yet: SAG-AFTRA Extends Studio Talks Ahead Of WGA Negotiations; Actors Union Likely To Resume Bargaining In June

SAG-AFTRA is putting a pin in negotiations with the major Hollywood studios, for now.

The actors union agreed to extend talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, likely into June, after failing to finish up their deal before the Writers Guild of America begins its own bargaining with the studios on Monday.

The two parties had gone back to the bargaining table this week and went down to the wire, discussing issues into the weekend to try to finalize the agreement, we hear. However, despite some gains in key areas, the extra few days weren’t enough to get the deal across the finish line, they announced via a joint statement late Sunday night, just after the 98th Academy Awards wrapped its ceremony.

“SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP completed productive bargaining sessions, including going several days beyond what was originally planned. While we will continue ongoing conversations, formal negotiations will resume later this spring as planned, before the current contract expires June 30,” the statement read. “We thank both negotiating committees for their shared commitment to reaching a fair deal and their thoughtful engagement, including over this entire weekend. We will continue to respect the press blackout and will provide an update in the coming months.”

Sources tell Deadline that the two sides have made plenty of progress, which is why they agreed to work right up to WGA negotiations to try to wrap things up. So, while this is likely not the news SAG-AFTRA members were hoping for, it does not automatically spell disaster.

The news comes far ahead of the expiration of the current contract on June 30, giving the actors union plenty of time to finalize a new agreement. SAG-AFTRA is expected to return to the bargaining table after the Directors Guild of America’s bargaining round, which begins in May.

It’s been a relatively quiet bargaining cycle thus far, in part because both the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA have adhered to a media blackout they imposed on their negotiations from the start. 

Negotiating this agreement has been a hefty task for newly elected SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin in his first year as in the position, given that these are the first official talks between the guild and the AMPTP on a TV/Theatrical contract since the contentious 2023 round that led to historically long, dual writers and actors strikes.

As we previously reported, health and pension plans are the biggest priority for all three guilds in this bargaining cycle. The DGA, WGA and SAG-AFTRA plans have all operated in deficits the last few years to cover rising healthcare and essential living costs amid a dramatic decrease in employment. In return, the AMPTP may be seeking to get the unions to agree to longer contracts, as Deadline exclusively reported in December.